


Kiss It Better

by OnceAndAlwaysEnglishMajor



Series: Naruto Drabbles [15]
Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, flower shop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2019-02-11 03:30:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12926403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnceAndAlwaysEnglishMajor/pseuds/OnceAndAlwaysEnglishMajor
Summary: Sai visits Ino in the flower shop on a busy night





	Kiss It Better

**Author's Note:**

> Author has not finished Shippuden

     Ino stepped into the back of the flower shop and instantly regretted it. Boxes of still-packed fresh flowers filled the small space, crowding the work benches. There was barely room to walk. The sheer disorder of it grated. Ino pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes for just a minute. They must have had a rough day if none of the processing was done yet. Ino found a note from her mother on top of one of the boxes.  
     Hi sweetie! Sorry to leave you with all of this. We had a wedding today and things got a little out of hand. If you could get the fresh things put away that would be great!  
     Love,   
          Mom  
     Ino twisted her long hair up into a bun to keep it out of her way as she worked. She listened for the bell over the door as she unpacked the shipment in the back, freeing the fresh cut flowers from their cardboard captivity. The bell jangled and Ino stepped into the front of the store, plastering a smile on her face.   
Sai stood in front of the counter, hands clasped awkwardly behind his back.   
     “Oh, Sai. I’m afraid I don’t have much time to talk tonight,” Ino said with a frown. “I have so much processing to do in the back.” Sai often came into the shop to talk to her while she did the nightly clean up.   
     “That’s all right, beautiful,” Sai said. He paused. “You seem… Stressed. Would you like help?” Ino hesitated. She would be here all night doing this by herself. She bit her lip.   
     “Sure. I’ll show you what to do.” Ino led him into the back of the shop. “What I need to do is get all of these flowers on of the boxes and into buckets with with water,” Ino explained. She showed him where to fill the buckets, how much water to put in the bottom, and how to cut the end of the stems at an angle before putting them in the water.   
     “It helps them drink,” she said, “and the flowers stay fresh longer.” Sai listened attentively to everything Ino said. He always listened attentively to everything Ino said. Stressed, Sai thought, as he watched Ino work silently, her movements quick and purposeful. He kept his thoughts to himself, though.   
     “Oh,” Sai said. Ino’s head snapped up. Sai stared at his thumb as red blood welled up.   
     “Roses have thorns, Sai, remember? You have to be careful,” Ino said as she picked her way across the room to Sai. She wrapped her fingers around his wrist and tugged him to the front of the store. Ino knelt down and rummaged for a first aid kit under the counter. She opened the kit and pulled out the items she wanted. Ino carefully cradled Sai’s hand in hers, cleaning away the blood.   
     “You have to be careful with the roses, Sai. They’ll bite you,” Ino said as she wrapped a bandaid around his thumb.   
     “Sorry, Ino,” Sai said, lips pursed as he watched her careful movements.   
     “There!” Ino said, and kissed the bandaged thumb before she thought about it. Her face flushed as she looked up at Sai.                              "It’s what my mom’s always done,” she explained, “a kiss to make it better.”   
     “Does it help with the healing process?” Sai asked.   
     “No, it’s… More of a little kid thing, really. See, when you're little and you fall down or get some little injury, your mom or dad will ‘kiss it better’. It’s not that you’re really hurt, but you feel comforted and acknowledged by the action, I think,” Ino explained. “Make sense?”  
     “Mmm, yes, I believe so,” Sai said with that not quite smile of his. He broke Ino’s heart some days. She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face into his chest.  
     “Ino?” Sai asked in confusion.   
     “Shhhh,” she soothed. “Just let me care about you, ok?” 


End file.
